Steve Job's Commencement Analysis

On our first official day of class we watched a myriad of commercials that all lauded technology as the next great thing in our lives, whether based in community, intimacy or accessibility. We also watched Steve Job's Commencement Speech at Stanford. The text and video of which can be found here. Steve Job focused on three stories each with their own moral or upshot.

However, I found that each seemed to resonate with the idea of testing, persevering and triumphing presented in a biblical setting. The closest relation I find is the story of Job. Now, let me clarify. I am referring to the cultural representation and usage of story. Not the actual biblical teachings. (Ha, and not the spelling similarities!)

Culturally, Job is used to say "Don't worry, it will all work out in end." ...even if you can't see the end. This is not all that different from what Jobs was saying in his commencement speech. That while he was trudging through his early years "It wasn't all romantic." Well, in many ways, that is an understatement! He has a classic rags to riches story. His is an antihero ragamuffin who has faith in himself and his ideas and he grew into a romanticized icon.

The biblical Job doesn't understand why God has chosen to put him through all these trials. But, he does understand that his faith is being tested and he trusts in God that it is all part of his plan and will work out in the end. Jobs trusts, not in a higher power like Job, but in the power of his own design, his own path. He says, "again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards." The struggles and confusion may seem like they will forever weigh you down.

However, Steve Jobs and biblical Job both trust that hindsight is 20-20. They both trust in the power of their path, of divine or individual design.